Electric sadiron



L. B. LINCOLN.

ELECTRIC SADIRON. f APPLICATION man JULY 11, 1919.

Patented May 17, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

II III B. LINCOLN.

ELECTRIC SADIRON.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 11, 1919.

Patented May 17, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' pZiz flevzfor UNITED stares FATET FFICE.

LEO B. LINCOLN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC SADIBON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17', 1921.

Application filed July 11, 1919. Serial No. 310,077.

- have invented a certain new and useful Im'-' provement in Electric Sadirons, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The ordinary electric flat iron is quite a complicated structure and, if anything goes wrong with the heating element, the iron must be taken apart to give access thereto.

The object of the present invention is to produce an electric fiat iron which shall con sist of a few simple parts assembled in such a manner that access may readily be had to the heating element and the latter may be removed and replaced without disturbing the rest of the assembled structure.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flat iron arranged in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the iron;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the rear end of the iron, the section being taken approximately on line 33 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the rear end of the iron taken approximately on Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a body member, preferably a casting, having the shape of a flat iron. In the interior of the member 1 is a broad shallow chamber,

2, lying at such a distance above the hot- I tom or ironing surface as to provide a sole plate, 3, of suitable thickness. The chamher is open at its rear end, that is at the rear end of the iron. A heating element of any suitable form is placed in the chamber in the iron by being inserted through the open rear end, In the arrangement shown, the heating element has a supporting frame, 4, conveniently made up of a stiff flat bar arranged on edge and. bent at one end so as to have approximately the contour of the chamber in the iron and having the other end bent back and forth in a zigzag way in the intervening space, so as to provide a series of connected passages along which a resistance wire, 5, may be laid. By this arrangement, there is no danger of having two strands of the resistance Wire come in contact with each other and thus produce a short circuit, since each section of wire lies between two Walls suitably spaced apart from each other. The resistance wire is preferably held in place by plates, 6, of,insulating material having slots, 7, opening out of the edges thereof; the plates being of a length equal to the distance between adjacent walls of the skeleton frame and being of a width or height equal to the width of the strip or bar out of which the frame is made, and the slots extending, inwardly through the long-edges of the plates. The strip or bar out of which the frame is made has laterally-projecting ears, 8, punched therefrom at intervals; the ears being arranged in pairs the individual ears of which are spaced apart a distance equal to twice the thickness of one of the plates 6; and the distribution of the pairs of cars being such that each-pair of frame elements-having be tween them a space or channel for a section of resistance wire have one or more groups of pairs of ears each group comprising two pairs arranged directly opposite each other. In order to assemble the parts of the heating element, one of the insulating plates, 6, is placed between each group of pairs of ears. with the. slot or slots directed upwardly. The 'wire is then laid in place, being received in the slots in the holding plates. A second set of holding plates is then slipped in position, the second set having the slots directed downwardly. Thus,

by making the slots in the holding plates of' the proper lengths, each pair of plates, when lying side by side, act like a single plate having therein a hole sufiiciently large to receive the resistance wire. As has heretofore been explained, each of the ventilating plates has a thickness equal to half the distance between the ears 8 of each pair and therefore when two of these plates are pressed in place between a pair of ears they are firmly held by the latter. llf desired, a single plate with a hole through it might be substituted for each pair of plates; a sulficient number of the individual washer-like plates being slipped upon the wire, before the latter is placed in the holding frame, to provide a plate for cooperation with each group of pairs of ears.

Theresistance wire may take any suitable form but I prefer to make it in the form of a helix so as to obtain a great length of wire which will permit the employment of a wire of comparatively large cross sectional area; thus making it possible to use a wire of materials that have heretofore been deemed unsuitable or at least not well adapted for resistance elements.

Another feature of my invention has to do with the simplification of the terminal connections. In accordance with my invention 1 form in the rear face of the body member of the" iron apocket or recess, 9, which is open at the rear and at its lower end communicates with the chamber for the heating unit. Tn this pocket or recess is arranged a block, 10, of insulating material which may conveniently be held in place by a simple screw, 11, passing through the same into the solid portion of the iron. The ends of the wire 5 are carried to suitable screws, 12, on the block 10. Connection with the outside is secured by means of two short pieces of wire, 18, formed into. a cable. 14, separated into its two elements at one end and fashioned into a knot, 15, in the usual way; the knot lying in a'suitable recess, 16, in the insulating block and the ends of the wires forming the knot being led to the screws 12. The outer end of the cable is surrounded by ashort coiled spring. 17, and terminates in one member, 18, of any suitable detachable coupling device.

It will be seen that all the removable elements within the iron are exposed at and removable through the rear. In order to take out the heating unit it is only necessary to loosen the screws, 12, so as to disconnect the ends of the resistance wire. Also, by removing the screw 11, the block of insulating material 10 may be disconnected. In order to prevent accidental short circuit and otherwise protect the parts. the open rear end of the iron is preferably closed in some manner. mmveniently by means of a name plate, 19, held in place by a few small screws, 21).

If it is desired to leave the upper portion of the body of the iron in the rough state in which it comes from the foundry and at Leas esthe same time give to theiron as a whole a polished finish, a shell or cover, 2.2., may be placed over the top of the body member of the iron; this shell or cover conveniently providing a roof or wall across the top of the insulating block 10 and serving as a solid abutment against which the knot 15 may bear. The cover may conveniently be held in place by means of the cap screws, 22, or other fastening devices for any usual or suitable handle, 23. 1

Instead of making the insulating plates 6 so short that they will extend only be tween two consecutive frame members, they may be made long enough to span any desired number of frame members and thus serve as tie members. Thus I have shown in Fig. 8 a cooperating pair of insulating plates, 30 and 31, each provided with three of the wire-receiving slots, 7, and each therefore made long enough to bridge the space between four of the frame elements. Properly spaced with respect to each other and to the ends of the member 31 are slots, 32, opening inwardly from the same edge as the slots 7; the slots, 32, being designed to receive the unniutilated portions of the frame members across which the plate is required to extend. The plate 31 is provided with slots, 35-3, opening inwardly from the edge opposite to thatin which the slots 7 terminate; the slots, 38, being adapted to register with the slots 32 when the two plates are superimposed upon each other.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single pre form of my invention, 1 do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. A sad iron comprising a body he a broad fiat chamber arranged nearthe bottom and extending substantially thro the length of the body, said chamber 1 ing out through the rear end of the body, a broad flat heating unit fitting sai chamber and adapted to be moved. and out of the chamber through the open rear end, there being a pocket opening upwardly out of the rear end of said chamber, insulating block arranged in said pocket so as to lie wholly above said chamber permit the insertion and removal of said heating element without disturbing the block, leading in wires from the exterior,

of the iron to the block, wires extending from said unit to said block, and means carried by the block for connecting corresponding wires together.

2. A sad iron comprising a unitary body having therein a shallow chamber of approximately the same length and width as the body, said chamber opening out through the rear end of said body, a self-contained heating unit of approximately the same size as the chamber fitting into and completely filling the same, and adapted to be moved into and out of the chamber through the open rear end, there being a pocket opening upwardly-out of the rear end of said chamber, connections to said heating unit extending downwardly through said pocket, and a detachable cover for the open rear end f said chamber and for the rear end of said ocket.

3. sad iron comprising a unitary body having therein a shallow chamber approximately as long and as wide as the body, said chamber opening out through the rear end of the body, a heating unit of approximately thesame size as the chamber fitting into the latter and movable into and out of the same through the open rear end, there being a pocket opening upwardly out of the rear end of said chamber, a block of insulating material arranged in said pocket and having a rearwardly-opening recess, terminals arranged in said recess, wires extending from said heating unit to said terminals, leading in wires extending from the exterior of the iron to said terminals, and a detachable cover for the open rear end of said chamber and for the rear of said pocket.

4. A sad iron comprising a unitary body having therein a shallow chamber approximately as long and as wide as the body, said chamber opening out through the rear end of the body, a heating unit of approximately the same size as the chamber fitting into the latter and movable into and out of the same through the open rear end, there being a pocket opening upwardly out of the rear end of said chamber, a block of insulating material lying wholly above said chamber, means for securing said block to said body independently of said heating unit, terminals carried by said block, leading in wires connected to said terminals, wires connecting said terminals with said heating unit, and a. detachable cover for closing the rear end of said chamber and concealing said terminals.

5. A sad iron comprising a deep heavy body having near the bottom a broad flat chamber extending substantially throughout the length thereof and opening out through the rear end of said body, a broad flat heating unit fitting into said chamber and adapted to be moved into andout of the chamber through the open rear end of the latter, there being a pocket opening upwardly out of the rear end of said chamber, insulating means for leading-in wires arranged in said pocket so as to lie wholly above said chamber and permit the insertion and removal of said heating element without disturbing said insulating means, and a-detachable cover for the open end of said chamber.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

LEO B. LINCOLN. 

